Gadhafi forces remain on the attack in Libya

Coalition steps up airstrikes, may arm rebels.

TRIPOLI, Libya -- Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi carried out attacks on several rebel-held areas and deployed an elite military brigade to help bolster defenses, U.S. officials said, despite sharply stepped-up coalition airstrikes against his regime.

Gadhafi's military assaults Tuesday suggested that the Libyan strongman is seeking to crush the remnants of the 5-week-old popular rebellion against his regime, underscoring deepening questions as to whether the U.S.-led air campaign is succeeding.

Libyan army tanks and artillery were reportedly used against defenders in the seaport of Misrata, the last major city in western Libya held by the ragtag rebel force trying to overthrow Gadhafi's four decades of rule.

Gadhafi's military also has not withdrawn from two other Libyan cities that have seen heavy fighting, Ajdabiya and Zawiya, as President Barack Obama as demanded.

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Reached by telephone, a pharmacist in Misrata said the city came under "continuous shelling," and government soldiers took up positions in the main hospital after coalition aircraft struck their base at the city's airport.

A government spokesman, Musa Ibrahim, said Monday that Misrata had been "liberated" except for pockets of resistance. But the pharmacist mocked the claim. "If he controls the city, come and show us," he said. "Show us on television how he controls the city."

Coalition forces also struck the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and its surroundings for the fourth night. At least three loud explosions, presumably coalition airstrikes or missiles, shook buildings as antiaircraft fire and tracer rounds lit up the sky around 9 p.m.

In all, coalition aircraft launched 57 attacks Tuesday -- more than twice the number that had been carried out in the first three days of the campaign, according to the Pentagon. Ships also launched 26 cruise missiles, up from a dozen the day before.

France ended up making the first strikes, and the diplomats said Turkey's envoys had warned that NATO's participation in the airstrikes could damage the alliance's standing in the Islamic world at a time when it is heavily engaged in the war in Afghanistan.

The diplomats, who are accredited to NATO, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

NATO's participation in any military action against Libya would require the approval of all 28 NATO members. But Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal denied that his country was grounding NATO.

"Turkey is not blocking NATO, Turkey has been contributing to the preparations with a positive approach since the beginning," Unal told The Associated Press.

The NATO diplomats said the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top decision-making body, was unable to reach agreement Monday, and would take up the issue again today for the fourth day in a row.

Even if such an order is adopted, it would take several days before aircraft under NATO command could start flying missions over Libya. The order also is likely to restrict NATO's air forces to making sure there are no unauthorized flights over Libya, with no mention of attacks on ground targets, one of the diplomats said.

Turkey apparently was not the only obstacle. Diplomats said France was seeking political leadership of the mission, but this was opposed by a number of other nations, which wanted NATO firmly in charge. Another sticking point was just how aggressive the enforcement of the no-fly zone should be, as several nations strongly opposed continuing the airstrikes on Libyan ground targets.

Italy warned Monday that it would review the use of its bases by coalition forces if NATO does not take over. The country lies just across the Mediterranean from Libya and is allowing the use of seven of its military bases.

"Italy will begin reflecting on the use of its bases," said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, according to Italian news reports. "If there is a multiplication of command centers, we must study a way in which Italy retakes control of its bases."

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi insisted the mission should pass to NATO's command, and said Italian planes would not launch any missiles. Speaking in Turin, he said coordination among partners must be "different from the one that has been established so far."

British Prime Minister David Cameron, however, praised the performance of the informal coalition, saying its forces had neutralized Libyan air defenses and helped avert a bloodbath.

The prime minister told British lawmakers that Gadhafi had violated a U.N. Security Council resolution by moving troops toward rebel-held cities and also had lied to the international community.

"Gadhafi responded to the U.N. resolution by declaring a cease-fire, but straightaway it was clear he was breaking that promise," Cameron said.

Cameron stressed that through airstrikes, coalition forces helped avert what could have been "a bloody massacre in Benghazi."